In recent years, wireless phones and other similar portable wireless computing devices have become nearly universally carried by people around much of the world. Presently, wireless portable communication devices enable more than just person to person voice communication, enabling wireless data transmission as well. Wireless data transmission is enabled in a variety of ways including text messaging over phone networks, Bluetooth communications connections over ad hock networks, Wi-Fi communication, and other wireless communication connections. Using such available technologies, customers may selectively interact with remote servers over wireless communication links by entering data into a portable wireless computing device on their person. Even though many people in the industrialized world today, who visit physical establishments such as restaurants, bars, gyms, and clubs, enter those establishments equipped with at least one wireless portable computing device upon their person, there currently is no mechanism by which customers of a localized physical establishment may easily influence their environment using their wireless portable computing devices. The approaches described in this section are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.